Managing Potential Bill Cost Increases
Understanding how different factors can influence bill costs is important. Here, we break down the main influences, and ask questions to help you understand how your bill could be impacted.
How’s the weather been?
The weather can have a significant impact on your household energy usage. In summer, using an air conditioner to cool your house down can significantly increase your energy usage. During winter, the shorter and cooler days can also push up your energy usage, especially if you’re inside using your lights, clothes dryer and heater.
Have you had more people at your house?
An increase in the size of your household for a period can impact your energy usage, for example a new addition to the family This is also the case when household member(s) spend more time at home consuming energy, for instance, while working from home more, on school holidays or public holidays.
Plugged in a new appliance?
There is an appliance for everything, and whilst they can be handy, they can lead to more costly energy bills. Be mindful of how many appliances you are using daily and their energy consumption. Turning off appliances at the wall could reduce your energy usage by up to 10%.
When shopping for a new appliance try to buy energy efficient appliances - the higher the rating, the less power they consume. You’ll find the rating on the back or bottom of most appliances. However remember to turn off your appliances even the most energy efficient appliances will start to add up if you leave them turned on.
Is your concession being applied?
If you are eligible for a concession, make sure you’ve provided us with the details. Once the concession has been applied, you should see a concession amount on your bill. To add or update your concession card details, call our friendly Customer Service team on 1300 191 986.
Was there a change in your billing period?
The number of days in a billing period can differ between bills based on when your meter was read. If you see a small variation in your bill, the billing period may have been longer than a previous one. Compare the dates on your current and previous bill.
Have you been billed on an estimated meter reading?
If the meter reader can’t access your meter, we’ll send you an estimated bill and then make a billing adjustment when an actual reading can be taken..
If you prefer, you can provide us with your own meter reading. You’ll find clear instructions on how to perform a self-read here.
Have your electricity or gas rates increased?
Energy prices can change from time to time. When they do, we will always give you notice in advance of any change, which will be tailored to your personal circumstances.
Have you moved to a new home that may have a different meter tariff (rates) set up or has your meter tariff type changed?
Understanding your meter tariff set up is important. There are four main tariff types for electricity;
- Single rate tariff – one flat charge for all usage
- Time of use tariffs - different usage rates depending on when power is used
- Controlled load tariffs – a separate charge for high energy usage appliances such as pools or hot water systems
- Demand tariffs – this is based on your highest energy usage time of the billing period
Your bill should tell you your meter tariff type. Sometimes distributors introduce new meter tariff types to help encourage households to use less electricity during peak times of the day.
Does your bill include previous amounts you haven’t paid?
If you didn’t pay your previous bill in full, any remaining amount is applied to your next bill.